2024-04-12 03:22:11
According to Gabrielias Grubinskas, Media Relations Specialist of the Communication Department of Vilnius City Municipality, outdoor cafes in Vilnius can operate all year round. After coordination with the municipality, they can be installed near the catering establishments themselves and in other places where cafe areas are provided, and the activities of outdoor cafes can be limited due to events taking place in the city.
“Last year, 520 permits were issued for outdoor cafes, this year until April 2 issued 259. It is expected that the number of permits issued by the end of this year will be similar to last year”, said G. Grubinskas.
Gražvydas Vilčinskas, the manager of the “Strange love” cafe located next to the Bernardin garden, said that the outdoor terrace of the establishment is already ready, which was requested by the cafe’s visitors.
“We already use it. During the warm Easter weekend there were many visitors, probably all the tables we had were taken. The terrace is open even now, when the weather has cooled down, those who wish can sit outside, but there are far fewer of them,” the interviewer told the portal.
Takes care of the health of employees
In Kaunas, as in Vilnius, outdoor terraces can be installed in public places near a stationary public catering place, if they do not interfere with the free movement of pedestrians and vehicles.
According to Sonata Šēlienė, head of the Licenses, Permits and Services Department of the Kaunas City Municipality, in 2024 more than 20 permits for setting up outdoor cafes have already been issued and the same number of applications are still being considered.
“In 2023 166 permits were issued to sell (provide services) in public places of the city of Kaunas – outdoor cafes. It is expected that the number of outdoor cafes in the city of Kaunas will not decrease”, – to the portal lrytas.lt S. Šēlienė said to the portal.
Although the residents of Kaunas were able to have lunch outside in more than one catering establishment during the holiday weekend, representatives of some restaurants assure that they do not trust the warm weather yet.
“Everything is ready – we have chairs and tables, but we will invite guests to sit outside when the days are sunnier. Yes, the Easter weekend was warm, but we can clearly see that it was really not worth trusting, because the weather has cooled down again”, said Rodrigo Torres Canela, sales manager of the Kaunas-based Mexican restaurant “Agave”.
He added that he does not want to allow his employees to work outside for the time being.
“I don’t want my employees to work outside when it’s cold, we protect their health,” the interviewer said.
Seaside entrepreneurs are in no hurry
According to the specialists of the Licenses and Permits Department of the Klaipėda City Municipality, last year in Klaipėda, 120 permits were issued for 85 unique public catering establishments to install outdoor terraces, and a similar number of them is expected to be issued this year as well.
Although it is possible to trade and provide services in outdoor cafes near stationary public catering establishments all year round, most outdoor cafes are set up for the summer season, which is from April 1st to October 31st.
According to Aurelija Jenkienė, the owner of the gastrobar “TABU” located a little further from the center of the port city, the catering establishment will blow the dust off the outdoor tables at the beginning of May.
“Year after year, nature has proven that a few warm days do not mean that the season is open. Dragging furniture, padding outside and then melting it, as it was, for example, after the warm Easter weekend, when it was drizzling all over Lithuania, is not worth it”, – lrytas.lt A. Jenkienė spoke to the portal.
According to her, even in May there are periods of cool and unpleasant weather lasting a week or more.
“We live in Lithuania and the weather here is Lithuanian. We don’t have a glazed terrace, everything is in the open air, we only have umbrellas, so it’s really uncomfortable to sit there at the moment,” explained the owner of TABU.
Aušra Pacevičiūtė, co-founder of the cafe “10 Tiltų kiemas” and the bars “10 Tiltų kiemas” and “10 Tiltų krantas” located in the old town of Klaipėda, emphasized that the occupancy of the outdoor terraces depends on the weather, and a larger flow of people can be expected in them at the end of April, at the beginning of May.
“We don’t close the terraces all year round, people can sit down whenever they want.” For example, it was warm during Easter, so there were really a lot of people sitting outside. When the weather is worse, there are automatically no people who want to sit outside,” the interviewer told the portal.
2024-04-12 03:22:11